Chapter 1

"Your dislike towards women is causing several rumors in the pack. Better to attend the festival and try to talk to some ladies there." He spat, "If possible choose a suitable mate!"

I did not argue with my father. I knew for a fact that it was useless. His decision will never change.

The road to the Kingdom’s Mating Festival was paved with silver-leafed trees and the heavy, metallic scent of high-stakes politics.

I sat in the back of the black SUV, my fingers tracing the rough, calloused skin of my knuckles.

"Choose a mate," my father’s voice echoed in my head like a curse. He didn't want me to find love; he wanted me to find a shield.

The "masculinity" spell the witch had woven into my skin felt tighter today, a restless energy buzzing beneath my surface.

My female scent which should have been sweet like jasmine or pine was buried even deeper.

Suddenly, the wind shifted. A jagged, rotten stench cut through the air.

"Rogue wolves," I hissed, my eyes flashing amber.

I did not waste a second and came out to check.

Deep in the thicket of the borderlands, a small car was being torn apart. These weren't just any wolves, they were Rogues—beasts who had lost their humanity and lived only for the kill.

I could see from afar that a girl was surrounded by a number of lusty rogues. She looked barely nineteen, her silk dress shredded, her eyes wide with a terror that paralyzed her.

I didn't think. I shifted.

My bones didn't crack like a normal werewolf's; they hummed with a suppressed power. My wolf was larger than most Alphas, a silver-gray beast that radiated a cold, haunting calm. I slammed into the rogue mid-air, my jaws snapping shut on its windpipe.

The fight was a blur of silver and red. Calculated. Precise. I wasn't just fighting to save her; I was venting twenty-one years of a stolen life.

Within minutes, the five rogues lay dead, their dark blood staining the forest floor.

I shifted back, pulling my oversized blazer from a nearby branch to cover myself. I walked toward the girl, who was trembling violently against a tree.

"You're safe," I said, my voice dropping to that low, gravelly tone that had fooled thousands. I reached out a hand to help her up. "I am Alex of the Silver Crescent. My guards are right behind me."

The girl only watched me in silence and said nothing. I assumed she was still terrified.

"I assume you are the daughter of Alpha Thorne. He is looking for you. I have seen your pack members a mile ago. They will soon reach to you. Don't worry."

After whispering a few comforting words to her, I turned to leave. However, before I could sit inside my car, a cold ruthless voice sounded from behind.

"Alex Salvador! You shameless piece of filth!"

My brain went numb. My nails almost scratched my car's door growing up in rage.

"Alpha Thorne? What is this?"

"Don't you play dumb with me!" he lunged forward, his hands almost grabbing my collar. "My daughter is only nineteen! How could you lay a hand on her? You animal!"

The last word exploded like an explosive bomb. My eyes widened in shock and anger. "Alpha Thorne, please get your facts right before putting such a vile accusation on someone."

I then turned to look at the lady I just saved from rogues. "Lady Thorne, could you please explain everything to your father?"

"Lady Thorne...?"

I requested the girl to explain the situation to her father. But, surprisingly, she hid behind her father, looking at me with a pair of eyes that screamed terror!